Well, I think that it helps kids, and I have a lot of information on it, But I have info on both.
With more and more ways of viewing TV available we now have access to a plethora of both good quality and inappropriate TV content. In this crowded television environment, the key is to provide young children with a guided viewing experience and to model and teach them the critical thinking skills they need to be active, engaged viewers.
Television offers lots of benefits to kids:
Because of its ability to create powerful touchstones, TV enables young people to share cultural experiences with others.
TV can act as a catalyst to get kids reading"following up on TV programs by getting books on the same subjects or reading authors whose work was adapted for the programs.
Television can teach kids important values and life lessons.
Educational programming can develop young children's socialization and learning skills.
News, current events and historical programming can help make young people more aware of other cultures and people.
Documentaries can help develop critical thinking about society and the world.
TV can help introduce youth to classic Hollywood films and foreign movies that they might not otherwise see.
Cultural programming can open up the world of music and art for young people.
How to choose good TV

How can we select viewing that is good for children? One approach is to ask the following questions:
Does the program encourage children to ask questions, to use their imaginations, or to be active or creative?
Television watching doesn't have to be passive. It can prompt questions, kindle curiosity, or teach activities to pursue when the set is off.
How does this program represent gender and diversity?
Young children believe that television reflects the real world. To not see people like themselves"in race, ethnicity, or physical ability, for example"may diminish their self-worth, and not seeing people different from themselves may lead to a distorted view of the world as well. Beyond the simple presence or absence of diversity, it's important to look at how different people are portrayed.
How commercialized is this program?
Some children's programs are designed to act as extended commercials for related merchandise. While this is often true from the outset, in other cases the merchandising may not appear until the show is successful " which can lead to a situation where the "tail wags the dog" as the marketing becomes more important than the program itself, and hurt the quality of the show.
What are the common themes and topics in this program?
Watch a few episodes of the program to see the common themes and storylines. What characteristics are shown in a positive or negative light? Which behaviours and activities are rewarded, and which are punished? What does the show suggest is important, valued or desirable?
What emotional effect will this program have on children?
Consider that children will often have different emotional reactions than adults. Things which we consider to be normal elements of drama, such as conflict between characters or putting characters in jeopardy, can be distressing for very small children. Also, all children are different: don't assume that a child will be able to handle content because you watched it at their age or because siblings or classmates have watched it without incident. See the section Special Issues for Young Children for more details.
The good news is that Canadian children's television, in particular, is frequently a source of good messages. A 2009 study of Canadian TV aimed at youth found that among shows aimed at preschoolers, nearly half focused on social relationships, while a third focused on learning, with none focusing on fighting or violence. These themes did appear in Canadian programs aimed at kids ages 6-12, but represented only one in 10 shows: social relationships, adventure and learning were all found much more often. Canadian children's TV was also found to have a high level of ethnic diversity, with visible minorities represented at a level close to their actual numbers in Canada. Unfortunately, the same study found that fewer children's programs are being made in Canada, falling from half of all kids' programming broadcast in Canada in the 1990s to roughly a third in 2009.
How much impact TV has on children depends on many factors: how much they watch, their age and personality, whether they watch alone or with adults, and whether their parents talk with them about what they see on TV.
To address the potential negative effects of television, it's important to understand what the impact of television can be on children. Below you will find information on some areas of concern.
Violence

Over the past few decades, hundreds of studies have examined how violent programming on TV affects children and young people. While a direct "cause and effect" link is difficult to establish, many studies have suggested that some children may be vulnerable to violent images and messages.
Researchers have identified three potential responses to media violence in children:
Increased fear"also known as the "scary world syndrome"
Television frequently portrays a much more violent world than the real one, and this can have an effect on kids: children who have seen significant amounts of violence on TV are more likely to believe that the world is a frightening place. This effect is more powerful when the violence is portrayed realistically (as in thrillers or police procedurals) or when it is depictions of actual violence (as in documentaries or news programs). [2]
Desensitization to real-life violence
There is significant evidence that exposure to violence in real life (for instance, witnessing violent crime or domestic violence) can cause young people to see violence as acceptable or unremarkable. [3] There is some evidence to suggest this may happen, on a smaller scale, as a result of exposure to media violence. [4]
Increased aggressive behaviour
There seems to be a relationship between violent media and aggression, but it's not clear whether violent media can make children more aggressive or whether kids who are already more aggressive are drawn to violent media. [5] It's also possible that the two reinforce one another, so that kids who are prone to be aggressive choose more violent media which encourages their aggressiveness.
See the section Violence for more details.
Effects on healthy child development

Television can affect learning and school performance if it cuts into the time kids need for activities crucial to healthy mental and physical development: the Canadian Pediatric Society recommends that school-age children should watch no more than two hours of television per day, with less than one hour being ideal, and that children should not have access to television in their bedrooms. [6] This is particularly important with young people, as screen time has been shown to have a clear negative effect on small children's cognitive and emotional development. (While educational TV can be a good option for older children; those under the age of two get no benefit from it and suffer the same negative effects as those who watch commercial television.) [7] Among older children, excessive screen time has been shown to lead to behavioural difficulties, [8] reduced achievement at school, attention problems, sedentary behaviours and an increased risk of obesity. [9] Most of children's free time, especially during the early formative years, should be spent in activities such as playing, reading, exploring nature, learning about music or participating in sports.
A Scientific American article entitled "Television Addiction Is No Mere Metaphor" examined why children and adults may find it hard to turn their TVs off. According to researchers, viewers feel an instant sense of relaxation when they start to watch TV"but that feeling disappears just as quickly when the box is turned off. While people generally feel more energized after playing sports or engaging in hobbies, after watching TV they usually feel depleted of energy. According to the article "this is the irony of TV: people watch a great deal longer than they plan to, even though prolonged viewing is less rewarding." [10]
As well as encouraging a sedentary lifestyle, television can also contribute to childhood obesity by aggressively marketing junk food to young audiences. According to a 2010 study, four in five commercials advertising food on Canadian children's television are for foods "high in undesirable nutrients and/or energy." [11] A lot of money goes into making ads that are successful in influencing consumer behaviour: the U.S. fast-food industry spent over four billion dollars on marketing and advertising in 2009 alone. [12]
Sexual content

Kids today are bombarded with sexual messages and images in all media"television, magazines, advertisements, music, movies and the Internet. Adults are often concerned about whether these messages are healthy. While television can be a powerful tool for educating young people about the responsibilities and risks of sexual behaviour, such issues are seldom mentioned or dealt with in a meaningful way in programs containing sexual content.

It depends on type of TV children watch. PBS is the best channel, because, they have programming for all ages. I think every child should PBS. Children should NOT watch MTV, E!, VH1, Oxygen, etc, because, all their reality shows, especially MTV reality shows such as The Real World/Challenge, 16 & Pregnant/Teen mom, Jersey Shore, etc are a bad influence on kids 12 -24, because, all these types of reality shows do is promote sexual content, youth violence, substance abuse, partying, etc & that's not healthy for their cognitive development, because, the brain doesn't fully develop until age 25. In my opinion, I would NOT at all recommend MTV & any other edgy reality shows for teenagers & early 20's. I think this is why they are so many troubled kids out today, because, of junk televsion & bad music. That's why I think it depends on the type of television children watch. PBS is perfect & MTV & other edgy reality shows are bad influence on kids.